Our vision

TGEU (Transgender Europe) envisions Europe, Central Asia and the rest of the world free from discrimination, where each person can live according to their gender identity and gender expression without interference and where trans people and are respected and valued. TGEU works towards this vision through advocacy work, community building and monitoring projects.

Our mission

Our mission is to give trans people a voice and platform in Europe, Central Asia and also the rest of the world. We advocate for trans rights and social justice, raise awareness on issues trans people face and support a strong trans movement in collaboration with others. Through our mission, we understand intersectionality as key to our actions.

Our values

We endeavour to build an atmosphere of kindness, trust, safety, appreciation, and cooperation, and emphasise celebrating the resilience and diversity within our communities. Our overarching aim is having the direction of our work set by people directly affected by the issues at hand. Read our guiding values statement here.

TGEU is a member-based organisation created in 2005. Since then, TGEU has kept growing and established itself as a legitimate voice for the trans community in Europe and Central Asia with 112 member organisations in 44 different countries. Today, TGEU has an office in Berlin, Germany, as well as a team of 10 members of staff and a Steering Committee.

Our team

Steering Committee 2018 - 2020

The SC is elected every 2 years by our membership and is the governing body of the organisation (listed in alphabetical order).

Ari Kajtezovic

Zagreb, Croatia

Founder of Trans Mreza Balkan, Trans Aid and involved in FRIDA the young feminist fund, Ari brings 15 years of LGBTIQ activism and trans activism to the team. Having worked in diverse communities, including being a refugee in Canada during the Yugoslav war, Ari has been on TGEU’s board for the past 5 years.

Spoke person of Inter-LGBT and associated expert for the Center for Intersectional Justice, Clémence wants to priorities the most underrepresented within the trans community. As a migrant from Mexico, with experience of being homeless and sexwork, her 25 years of activism are deeply rooted in intersectional perspectives and commitment to the communities.

Languages: Spanish, French, English

Emirhan Deniz Celebi

Istanbul, Turkey

Board member and coordinator since 2015 at SPoD, Emirhan has been active in turkish trans advocacy work but also security meetings after coup attempts in an endless state of emergency situation. Emirhan has developed survival skills in complicated situations and brings a strong turkish activism context to TGEU. He wants to make space for underrepresented groups.

Languages: Turkish, English

Kami Mathiasin

Guadeloupe, France

Part of SOS Homophobie, Qitoko and AIDES, Kami is a black gender-fluid poor caribbean survivor and activist since 2012. Kami pins the definition of intersectionality and is committed to promote mental wellness in trans activism and strengthening the links between different european queer and trans people of colour.

Languages: French, English, LSF (french sign language)

Mimi Aum Neko

Paris, France

Active member of Acceptess-T and Strass (Sexworkers’ trade union) Mimi began her LGBTQI activism 12 years ago against the military coup d’Etat in Thailand. Threathened by the military regime, she seeked asylum in France and started to fight against transphobia, racism, HIV and stigmas, poverty and dictatorship for the rights of trans migrants and sexworkers.

Languages: Thai, French, English, German

Miles Rutendo

Sodertalje, Sweden

Founder of Queerstion Media and member of RFSL and Black Queers Sweden, Miles brings 10 years of experience within the LGBTIQ and migration activism. As a refugee from Zimbabwe, Miles wants to amplify the voices of trans asylum seekers and refugees in Europe and intersectional perspectives through activism and journalism where he has more than 10 years of experience.

Languages: Shona, Swedish, English

Toryn Glavin

Dublin, Ireland

Trans Engagement Officer at Stonewall after working 2 years for the Transgender Equality Network Ireland, Toryn is a 24 year old trans woman coming from a working class background. Activist for 5 years, she has dedicated her professional life to working for trans communities and wishes to ensure the representation of trans youth’s voices.

Languages: Irish, English.

Sherry Jae Ebere

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Coach, Accessibility Ambassador for Public Transport in Amsterdam and devoted activist among the trans and disabled communities, Sherry Jae Ebere is a transwoman born in Nigeria and raised in the Netherlands. She was infected with polio at birth, and since 2016 she has been completely rejected from the labor market/her previous works. Today, she is dedicated to amplify the voices of trans disabled people.

Languages: Dutch, English.

Meerim Ilyas

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan & Dublin, Ireland

As a queer cis woman of color and Deputy Head of Protection at the Front Line Defenders, Meerim joined TGEU to help examine and expand allyship within mainstream feminist communities, and to support the voices of trans people. Meerim was born and raised in Kyrgyzstan, and calls herself a Central Asian Californian with diasporic sensibilities. Due to personal experiences, Meerim is deeply committed to access and disability rights.

Languages: Kyrgyz, English.

Lilit Martirosyan

Yerevan, Armenia

Founder and president of the first Armenian trans community-based organisation in the South Caucasus, RighT Side, Lilit has been involved in trans rights activism for more than 10 year. Over the years, she helped many trans people in transitioning and document changed process and she is committed to advocate for inclusive polices for trans people and sex workers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Dinah brings intersectional stigma to the table, cross-cutting ethnicity, discrimination, erasure of trans black and people of colour, sexworkers’ rights, access to trans health care for minorities and speaking up for trans migrants.

Languages: Dutch, German, English, French, Italian, Hebrew, English.

Moritz G. Sander

Operations Director

Moritz has been an active member of the Berlin trans community for over ten years and has been TGEU’s Financial Senior Officer for 5 years before becoming Operations Director. Moritz brings excellent knowledge of finances and regulations in the German context.

Moritz also worked as an assistant director for two theatre companies and is a people’s person. Before joining TGEU Moritz was employed as a management assistant in a consultancy institute.

Languages: German, English, some French and Spanish.

Akim Grx

Programmes Director

Akim is a strategic thinker who approaches work with responsibility and drive, centering the power within the communities. Being active in the trans and anti-racist movement, Akim brings clear analysis of structures and power with the knowledge to support TGEU towards better intersectional practices.

Akim is dedicated to strengthen and empower trans communities by building alliances, involving partners and shaping projects.

Languages: French, English.

Richard Köhler

Senior Policy Officer

Richard oversees TGEUs policy and advocacy work at the European level and has been a trans activist for more than a decade. Starting with TGEU as a member of the steering committee he has continuously initiated change to develop the structure and policy of TGEU drawing from his wide experience in international project management and NGO consultancy. Richard has a background in International Business Administration with specialization on NGOs in Russian-speaking countries.

Languages: German, English, Russian, some French, basic Turkish.

Annaluise Van Delden

Operations Officer

Annaluise joined TGEU’s team in August 2017 as the Operations Officer. As Operations Officer, she is responsible for coordinating TGEU membership, as well as supporting the financial and administrative duties of the office.

Annaluise is a mathematician and is passionate about human rights. Before joining TGEU she worked in a residential care home, volunteered in non-profit organisations, and has researched in the field of applied computer science.

Olave is a non-binary trans femme, born in Burundi, raised in The Netherlands, where her family sought refuge in the early nineties. She holds a Bachelor of European Law, a Master of Corporate Law and is a published author, a regular columnist on race, gender and feminism, who has been engaged in Dutch anti-racism activism, most notably in the LGBTI+ community.

The position of Policy Officer represents a unique opportunity for her to combine all the skills, competences, knowledge, privileges, networks and drive that have carried her to this point in time, and put them to the service of trans communities.

Leo comes from Spain, with a background as psychologist working with trans communities and as a trainer on gender diversity. Most of his activism has been supporting the development of Legal Gender Recognition in Spain, with a focus on self determination.

In his position as Health Officer, Leo is committed to raise awareness on depathologisation of trans identities, working towards it and making healthcare accessible for all trans people. Joining TGEU, improving the health and wellbeing of the community is one of his main goals.

Languages: Spanish and English.

Sanjar Kurmanov

CACEE Project Manager

Sanjar is from Kyrgyzstan and worked several years as Executive Director of Labrys, Kyrgyzstan’s main LGBTQIA organisation. Sanjar built his expertise on legal gender recognition as well as developing partnerships with the sex workers movement, drug users and community building in Kyrgyzstan.

Sanjar has been part of the PROtrans project from the beginning and will ensure the coordination of the project, monitoring discrimination and violence against trans people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Languages: Kyrgyz, Russian, English

Najwa Ouguerram

Community Building Intern

Najwa is an activist from France, combining different struggles, such as queer and trans rights, gender equality and anti-racism. Back in Paris, Najwa was engaged in several grassroot organisations addressing racism as well as queerphobia from an intersectional perspective.

Advocacy work and empowerment for queer and trans Muslim people is one of his priorities. As Community Building intern, Najwa will participate in the development of different trainings, partnerships and membership work.